Here’s an effective way to add visual interest to an otherwise static asset. Start with a lock in shot video (using a tripod or with minimal movement/ hand shake) and use the steps below to make a cinemagraph that will loop with mesmerizing motion.
#1 Search for moments to isolate
Scrub through your footage and find the moment you want to freeze. Duplicate your layers if necessary to compose multiple moments as one. With the play head at the moment you want to freeze, right click the layer(s) in the timeline and select, “Time/ Freeze Frame”.
#2 Create a looping element
Locate a portion of your video that can be looped; the longer the better. Duplicate the layer. Move the starting point of the first layer to the middle and move the ending point of the second layer to match the ending of the first. Reverse their starting points with at least a ten second overlap in the middle and fade the starting layer’s opacity to 0 over the bottom layer.
#3 Create a clean background plate
Search through your footage for sections where overlapping and distracting elements aren’t visible. Remove and recompose anything that will break the illusion of the cinemagraph. Use Photoshop where necessary to clean things up.
#4 Mask and adjust your little heart out
Proceed to mask out any portions of footage that don’t match up; stray arms or hairs for example. Look for areas where shadows are off and touch them up. Do any final adjustments to lighting and color and feel free to conv. Enjoy the fruits of your labor :)!
